Healing the Divide: Men, Women and Spiritual Reconciliation

About us

Healing the Divide features Stanislav Grof’s return to Esalen, where he co-founded and developed Holotropic Breathwork. Stan will be accompanied by his wife Brigitte, who has been conducting Holotropic Breathwork workshops and training for thirty years, senior facilitator for Grof Transpersonal Training Diane Haug, and Gender Equity and Reconcilation founding directors Cynthia Brix and William Keepin. This workshop integrates two innovative modalities to support deep healing of the gender divide in human society that stems from cultural conditioning related to gender, sexuality, and relational intimacy. This experience is for people who yearn for authentic healing and reconciliation between the masculine and feminine on both inner personal levels and outer relational levels.

Mornings will be devoted to Gender Equity and Reconciliation, a unique process developed over 25 years in multiple countries that facilitates transformational healing across the gender divisions in society. Participants will have the opportunity to share deeply about gender and sexual conditioning in their personal lives while working in same-gender and mixed-gender groups. The process engages multiple dimensions of group process in a safe space, including storytelling, small group interaction, ceremony, and other experiential participation.

Afternoons will be spent in Holotropic Breathwork sessions, giving participants the opportunity to activate the natural inner healing energies within the psyche and facilitate internal experiences that are often profoundly healing. Breathwork experiences are guided by participants’ innate inner wisdom, and are therefore uniquely tailored to each individual. Evenings will include sharing and integration, during which participants can discover key insights and experiences. On the last evening, participants will co-create a special healing ceremony. Co-presenters for the week include Zanele Khumalo and John Tsungme Guy.

Note: This workshop intends to balance genders and create an inclusive and supportive environment for all participants. All gender identities are welcome to participate. Please be familiar with Breathwork contraindicators, which can be found here: www.grof-holotropic-breathwork.net/page/hb-faqs#faq13.

This is an intensive workshop, and requires approximately 8 hours of participation each day. Participants agree to attend all sessions. This workshop is deeply experiential and may involve intense and energetic emotional release.

Amenities

About the
Venue

For half a century, Esalen has been a primary thought leader and shapeshifter of the culture, generating and promoting new ideas, methods, and connections that have transformed our world. As we move into Esalen's next half-century of creative influence, we honor our rich legacy, celebrate our initiatives and our outreach today, and embrace our common human future in an emergent world culture of tomorrow.Esalen exists to serve the world — not as a refuge from it. We believe in the deeply transformative power of this place, recognizing that retreat and refuge must always be, ultimately, in the service of something larger than yourself. So we are organized to give you the tools to unleash latent capacities and re-energize your sense of purpose — for yourself and the world.Esalen is a place with a global reach. In the words of Thomas Wolfe about America, It is a place where miracles not only happen, but where they happen all the time.Esalen is not only a retreat center or an educational institute. Anchored by the inspiring beauty of Big Sur and an unparalleled intellectual history, Esalen is a world-wide network of seekers who look beyond dogma to explore deeper spiritual possibilities; forge new understandings of self and society; and pioneer new paths for change.Whether you come to process personal pain or to embark on a modern-day vision quest, we provide the crucible and catalyst, and workshop leaders whose integrity and skills embody the highest standards of practice. We ask that you become attuned to the here and now, and understand that the relationship between self and world is an intensely communicative process that’s continually created and recreated.We’ll give you the tools and freedom to unleash latent capacities and find a re-energized sense of purpose—for yourself and for the world. Let’s have an adventure.

$420-7000, depending on accommodation selection

Thank you!

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Retreat Guru's Vision

We believe human beings are innately wise, strong and kind. This wisdom, although not always experienced, is always present. Going on retreat is a beautiful way to reconnect to our basic sanity and health. Our aspiration at Retreat Guru is to inspire people to experience authentic retreats and reconnect with their innate wisdom, strength and kindness.